Background Resources

These links will provide you with background information, activity ideas and connections to other career-related websites. They are organized into categories that are related to the topical organization of Careers For Life. In the first category, General Career Development Sites, a brief site description is provided for each link.

Click on the category below to find a list of related links.

General Career Development Sites —Self-Discovery/Self-Assessment — Occupations and Occupational Fields — Learning Opportunities — Work Opportunities/Job Search — Labour Market Information and Working Conditions — Volunteering Opportunities

If you have comments about these links, or would like to suggest additions, corrections, or omissions, please contact us.

GENERAL CAREER DEVELOPMENT SITES

Bridges/CX Online
"CX Online is a comprehensive, Internet-based career development system. It was created by two career counselors for use by middle and high school students." Visit this site for a free trial.

Canada Career Consortium
Their mission: "The Canada Career Consortium, as a national forum, initiates, develops and co-ordinates career and labour market information to enable all Canadians to make transitions." Their many products, including Canada Prospects, are useful classroom tools.

CanLearn
With the support of its major partner, HRSDC, "CanLearn is the only online post-secondary education resource that provides Canadians with the information and services they need to decide what and where to study and how to cover costs " Includes many useful links to other sites and to career planning tools.

Career Development Manual (University of Waterloo)
A 6 step Career Development Manual that covers: Step 1 – Self-assessment; Step 2 – Occupational Research; Step 3 – Decision Making; Step 4 – Employment Contacts; Step 5 – Work; Step 6 – Career and Life Planning.

Career Paths Online
Career Paths Online is the Internet version of Career Paths Newspaper, the Official Career Planning Guide for BC and the Yukon. Designed specifically for youth, the Career Paths Newspaper is published by YES Canada-BC and is funded by the BC Ministry of Education, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. The site includes a 10 Step Career Planning Guide, career links, and articles.

Conference Board of Canada
Information related to the changing world of work, including an updated list of the skills most useful in that world, Employability Skills 2000+. This list is available in pdf format.

Contact Point
A Canadian website dedicated to the professional development needs of career counsellors.

Career Development Network
"The CD Network is an electronic network of people who are interested in and/or are involved in addressing the career development needs of individuals, young and old, in-school and out-of-school throughout Newfoundland and Labrador." Includes links to information about job shadowing, occupational interviews and work placement programs.

Jobsetc.ca
This Service Canada website provides links to information about occupations, apprenticeship and work trends, as well as interactive quizzes.

JobHuntersBible.com
A site designed to supplement Richard Bolles' book, What color is your parachute: A practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers., Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. Includes articles, useful links, resume-writing guidelines, etc.

Mazemaster
Sponsors include the Government of Canada and the Toronto Catholic District School Board. Students can take an interactive self-assessment quiz and begin a plan of action, gain access to information on the labour market, training and education, self-employment, job search techniques and job postings.

motiv8
A site developed for youth by YES Canada-BC and HRDC. Includes information, quizzes and articles.

National Life/Work Centre
One of NLWC's main objectives is "to help people of all ages become self-reliant, make informed choices and find satisfying and fulfilling work and lifestyles in today's rapidly changing labour market." It is a not-for-profit corporation that "partners with federal government agencies, provincial ministries, corporations, national and regional professional associations, and thousands of users in education and community settings in every Canadian province and territory, in most U.S. states, and abroad." Among its many projects are the Blueprint for Life/Work Designs and the the Real Game Series.

nextSteps.org
Sponsored by the governments of Canada and Alberta, and created by the Calgary Youth Employment Centre, this site includes career planning and job search skills, as well as archives of the nextSteps magazine, a career development magazine aimed at young people.

Youth.gc.ca
Another government-sponsored site, youth.gc.ca provides web links to information on loans, grants and scholarships as well as post-secondary survival tips. It also includes career planning tips and tools, as well as links to valuable work experience programs.

SELF-DISCOVERY/SELF-ASSESSMENT

Lists of sites
Interest Inventories and Self Assessment Sites
Self Assessment links

Specific Self-Discovery/Self-Assessment Tools
Career Key
Holland Occupational Themes
Keirsey Temperament and Character Web Site
Mazemaster

OCCUPATIONS AND OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS

Apparel Human Resources Council
Biotechnology Human Resources Council
Canada Career Consortium: Career Directions
Canadian Construction Association
Canadian Council of Technicians and Technologists
Canadian Retail Institute
Canadian Steel Trade and Employment Congress
Canadian Tourism Human Resource Council
Cultural Human Resources Council
Institute for Women in Trades, Technology and Science
Job Futures
Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Association
Software Human Resource Council (SHRC)
TourismWorkWeb
United Farm Workers